Wireless communication may be used as a means of accessing a network. Wireless communication has certain advantages over wired communications for accessing a network. One of those advantages is a lower cost of infrastructure to provide access to many separate locations or addresses compared to wired communications. This is the so-called “last mile” problem. Another advantage is mobility. Wireless communication devices, such as cell phones, are not tied by wires to a fixed location. To use wireless communication to access a network, a customer needs to have at least one transceiver in active communication with another transceiver that is connected to the network.
To facilitate wireless communications, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has promulgated a number of wireless standards. These include the 802.11 (WiFi) standards and the 802.16 (WiMAX) standards. Likewise, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has promulgated standards to facilitate wireless communications. This includes TIA-856, which is also known as Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO). The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has also promulgated a standard known as long term evolution (LTE). Additional standards such as the fourth generation communication system (4G) are also being pursued. These standards pursue the aim of providing a comprehensive IP solution where voice, data, and streamed multimedia can be given to users on an “anytime, anywhere” basis. These standards also aim to provide higher data rates than previous generations. All of these standards may include specifications for various aspects of wireless communication with a network. These aspects include processes for registering on the network, carrier modulation, frequency bands of operation, and message formats.
A wireless device can enter into a lower power state, such as an idle mode or a sleep mode, in which the wireless device is not in continuous communication with an access node. A communication system maintains a record of a recent location of the wireless device in an idle state in order to route paging messages to the wireless device if data is sent to the wireless device. One method of maintaining a record of a recent location of a wireless device is by use of a tracking area. A tracking area comprises a group of access nodes which are associated with a tracking area code. In addition, a tracking area list typically comprises the tracking area and a plurality of other tracking areas which are adjacent or proximate to the tracking area. When a message such as data arrives for a wireless device in an idle mode, a first paging message can be sent to the access node most recently in communication with the wireless device. When the wireless device does not respond to the first paging message within a predetermined period of time, a second paging message can be sent to all of the access nodes in the tracking area. When the wireless device does not respond to the second paging message within a predetermined period of time, a third paging message can be sent to all of the access nodes in the tracking area list.
Overview
In an embodiment, a method of operating a communication system includes receiving a request associated with a wireless device. In response to the request, it is determined that at least one paging message is to be sent to an access node associated with the wireless device. Based on an indicator of a paging load associated with the access node meeting a requirement threshold, a wait period before sending, to the access node, a first paging message associated with the request is determined.
In an embodiment, a communication system includes a first access node configured to receive paging messages and a processing node configured to send paging messages to the first access node. The processing node is further configured to, based on a first indicator of a first paging load associated with the first access node meeting a first requirement threshold, determine a first wait period before sending, to the first access node, a first paging message.
In an embodiment, a method of operating a communication system includes receiving, at a processing node, a request to communicate with a wireless device. In response to the request, a paging procedure that includes sending a first paging message to a first access node and a second paging message to a second access node is initiated. Based on a first indicator of a first paging load associated with the first access node, a first wait period before the first paging message is to be sent to the first access node is selected. Based on a second indicator of a second paging load associated with the second access node, a second wait period before the second paging message is to be sent to the second access node is selected.